Commissioners’ $138 million investment in 2022 yields more than $191 million, thanks to partnership
Posted on September 22, 2022 2022News and EventsTransportation
Your life takes you on the road. From our northern business park in Meridian, to US 85 in western Douglas County to the West I-25 Frontage Road south of Castle Rock – and all along the C-470 Trail – historic multimodal transportation investments are being made countywide so you can enjoy the life you’ve built here – in whatever mode you choose.
In 2022, Douglas County has invested a record $138 million in 13 transportation projects across the county. Working with partners – such as the Colorado Department of Transportation, Denver Regional Council of Governments, developers, metro districts and other jurisdictions – that investment will yield more than $191 million worth of improvements, including the largest construction contract in County history – a $101 million contract for multimodal improvements to U.S. 85 from Highlands Ranch Parkway to just north of C-470, which the Board of Douglas County Commissioners approved during a regular business meeting Sept. 20.
This year’s projects have also included improvements at Broadway and Plaza Drive, the C-470 Trail at Yosemite Street project, improvements to Havana Street and Meridian Boulevard, the Waterton Road Extension Project Phase 2, and a new traffic signal at the West I-25 Frontage Road and Tomah Road intersection.
In 2023, $58 million in projected revenue could be invested in 12 major transportation projects that could yield more than $100 million in total construction. These projects would be in addition to $23 million set aside for pavement management and drainage improvement projects. The Board will consider staff recommendations and adopt the 2023 budget later this year.
Your input drives these investments.
In 2019, your feedback helped finalize the 2040 Transportation Plan, updating our shared vision and roadmap for improving transportation in Douglas County. That same year, you approved the redirection of $12 million in existing annual revenue from the Justice Center Fund to countywide transportation improvements, helping put that transportation plan into action without compromising public safety. Partnerships stretched your dollars even further.
From 2019 through 2021, Douglas County has invested over $35 Million in major transportation corridor projects not owned and operated by the County. By partnering with others, these County investments leveraged over $900 million worth of transportation construction projects, including the C-470 widening, the I-25 South Gap Project, RTD’s FasTracks Southeast Light Rail extension project in Lone Tree, the expansion and reconstruction of portions of U.S. 85 and more.
Where does this funding come from?
Douglas County has four funds dedicated to transportation projects – the Road and Bridge Fund, the Infrastructure Fund, The Road Sales and Use Tax Fund and the Transportation Infrastructure Fund. Fueled mostly by sales and use tax, and user fees, money in all four accounts must be invested in transportation, according to state law. Douglas County spends more on transportation than any other Colorado county.
Stay tuned. These construction projects will impact us all on the road – but the vision is worth it. Visit DouglasRoadwork.com for individual project information.
A safe and accessible multimodal transportation network is one of the Board of County Commissioner’s six core priorities. Read more about the County’s transportation initiatives online.
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